Albanian baked lamb with rice (Tavë kosi)

Tavë kosi is a national dish in Albania, it’s similar to Greek moussaka. From Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul. Thanks Rick.

Ingredients
70g butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.2kg boned lamb shoulder, cut into 5cm cubes
4 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp dried oregano
60g long-grain rice, rinsed
50g plain flour
600ml Greek-style yoghurt
4 eggs, beaten
freshly grated nutmeg, to finish
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serves 8

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C
1. Heat 20g of the butter and the olive oil in a large lidded pan over a high heat. Brown the lamb in batches.
2. Return all the lamb to the pan. Add the garlic, oregano and 200ml water. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered with a lid, for about 45–60 minutes until the lamb is tender.
3. Stir in the rice, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 3 L earthenware or other ovenproof dish.
4. Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and make a roux, cook for 2 minutes, then take off the heat. Add the yoghurt and mix well, then return to the heat and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Take off the heat, add the beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the sauce over the lamb and rice mixture, grate fresh nutmeg on top and bake for 40–45 minutes until starting to turn golden-brown.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a simple lettuce salad.

Chook's note: I’ve made this with lamb mince and it tasted fine. Not as rich as the slow cook shoulder but when needs must ……
I also use this sauce recipe with Greek moussaka – it’s delish.